A tale of two speeches

After last week’s election results in which Jason Kenney’s UCP steamrolled to a 63-seat majority government in Alberta, the leaders of the only two parties to be represented in the Legislature spoke – and spoke well.

Alberta NDP leader and former Premier Rachel Notley was gracious in her concession speech. She pointed out some of her party’s accomplishments in their four years in power, after winning a most unlikely provincial election in 2015.

“We have fundamentally changed the politics in this province forever,” she said accepting the loss, “but democracy is our absolute highest value.” Notley pointed out the NDP’s ability of raise minimum wage to $15/hour, and enact some worthy social programs like reducing the child poverty rate and fighting for the protection of the LGBTQ2SA+ community.

A formidable and likeable speaker, it made me wonder why the former Premier didn’t use this positive approach to election campaigning rather than her scorched-earth attack on Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party. . . . contd.